And so she would dance
by smeegal61
Summary: Annabeth's pretty sure the guy she's talking to online likes her. She might kind of like him too. But when she starts walking home with a guy from college once a week and he makes a move... well, what's a girl to do?
1. Prologue

**An obnoxiously short (and condescending) prologue for my new multi chap Percabeth AU. Hopefully more will follow!**

Annabeth lay sprawled in a bush with a very definitely male body resting on top of her. Why, you may ask?

Well, it all started when P- wait, no. There was a bit before that.

Ah, yes.

Sitting comfortably, boys and girls?

**I told you it was short! xx**


	2. Chapter 1

**Based on a true story (Not mine - I have no love life *sniffles* This happened to my friend… sort of. I changed the ages, and personalities, and ending. Maybe I should say inspired by… you know what? Who cares?) Percabeth AU. Not really sure where I'm going with this. It's a multi chap, but don't expect updates. I have a ton of work to do. Basically, this AN is completely pointless. Sorry for wasting a minute of your life.**

**Disclaimer: Riordan owns PJO. I don't own anything else mentioned.**

**Read, enjoy, review!**

Annabeth sat on the bus home from college, plugged into her iPod. Music blaring, she scowled as yet another small child decided it would be fun not to hold on and crashed into her, whacking her shoulder with his bag. She grimaced out the window while rubbing her shoulder, once again wishing she was old enough to drive.

With a sigh of relief, she realised the scenery flashing past the window was her neighbourhood, signalling her stop. Quickly pressing the bell, she stood and swung her bag onto her shoulder, narrowly missing the faces of those snivelling rats behind her. Barging through, the sense of freedom overtook the feeling of satisfaction (and slight guilt) she felt at the petty revenge. She felt entitled to it after such a long day.

Pushing such thoughts out of her head, she politely thanked the bus driver and waited under the shelter for her brothers. Despite being early September, it was already starting to look like winter. _Well, that's global warming for you I suppose - messing up your seasons. _The bus shelter provided a little protection from the wind and mizzle.

In a bundle of pushing and shoving, Matthew and Bobby finally tumbled out of the doors onto the pavement, just before they hissed shut and the bus drove off. Walking over, she forcibly separated the terrible twosome, a hand on each of their foreheads. It was so cartoon-like, she could have laughed. But she didn't.

"Do you two mind? Stop fighting! I'd like to get home before dinner, thank you very much." Both boys stopped struggling and hung their heads at her disappointed tone.

"Sorry Annabeth," they both muttered. Features softening, she ruffled their hair, at which Matthew squirmed. Bobby didn't even bother to try and escape.

"It's okay boys. Let's just keep it moving, okay?" They nodded and headed off down the road, bouncing off one another and any sort of street furniture in the vicinity.

Sighing, Annabeth sacrificed her hair to the dampness in the air and set off after them.

…

"Caroline, we're home!" Annabeth called as she shut the door. After wiping her boots on the mat, she removed her coat and switched to slippers, before plodding into the living room. "All present, no serious injuries to report."

Caroline, her step-mother, looked up as she finished ironing a shirt. Her face was drawn and haggard after long days in the office and long nights without sleep. Still, a smile spread across her face, lighting it up and showing just why she had been called a beautiful woman when she was younger. "That's what I like to hear. Now, would you be a dear and pass me that hanger?" Annabeth complied. "Thank you. How was your day?"

"It was alright. I got this…" But Annabeth could see Caroline had already zoned out and was back in the world of efficiency and never ending work. She sighed. "Never mind. I'll leave you to it and see you at tea time, yeah?" Not even bothering to wait for a response she knew she wouldn't get, she turned on her heel and climbed the stairs to her room. Reaching its safety, she shut the door firmly behind her.

Looking in the mirror, she was glad she'd only be seeing the family tonight. Her hair was frizzy, and she momentarily felt jealous of all those girls at college whose hair was shiny and looked like it had come straight out of a shampoo advert. All she was stuck with was an uncontrollable mane of blonde frizz that reached her lower back. The length was the only thing she liked about it. Instead of depressing herself further, she pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She knew she wasn't particularly attractive with her hair and her dull grey eyes and a tan that completely disappeared as soon as the sun did. She just had to move on. She didn't care what anyone else thought. She certainly wasn't looking for a boyfriend.

She collapsed on the bed. After five minutes without movement, she finally stirred herself enough to rummage around in her bag. Eventually, she fished out her diary and her phone. Quickly loading her messaging app, she dashed off a text before turning to examine her homework for the night. Groaning, she dug out her history text books and a notepad, beginning to make notes on the timed essay she had to do the next day.

After ten minutes of solid, silent work, her phone buzzed. Annabeth pounced, opening up the message as fast as possible.

AnnabethChase: _Hey you free to talk?_

OwenSawyer: _For you? Always._

She smiled a little, typing back her reply.

AnnabethChase: _Thank God._

She only had to wait a few seconds.

OwenSawyer: _Nah, just thank Owen._

AnnabethChase: _No, I am honestly thanking God right now._

OwenSawyer: _Glad to hear I get such a good reception xx but really, was it that bad a day?_

Annabeth lay on her stomach, homework forgotten.

AnnabethChase: _You have no idea._

OwenSawyer: _Well I would if you told me (hint hint)._

AnnabethChase: _Ugh, so pushy :) Well, to start with, two of my friends had an argument over a chocolate mousse two days ago and they still aren't talking to each other. And they expect us to choose sides. Then, when I was walking to the bus today, a car drove past and covered me in water when they splashed through a puddle._

OwenSawyer: _Yeesh._

AnnabethChase: _Oh, I'm not finished. I got an A- in a test I got back._

OwenSawyer:_ So… That's a really good grade._

AnnabethChase: _Yeah, it's not that bad. But it's lower than I usually get and there was this one girl who went "Yes! I did better than Annabeth!" and proceeded to tell each individual person in the class. Yes, I'm happy she did well but did she really have to rub it in my face when I already wasn't happy with it?_

OwenSawyer: _Take it as a compliment. They see you as the best, the one to beat._

AnnabethChase: _Humph. You're supposed to be on my side, jerk._

OwenSawyer:_ I am. Forever and always xx_

AnnabethChase: _Aww… I'll let you get away with that one._

OwenSawyer: _I appreciate it :) So, was that all?_

AnnabethChase: _Umm… yes. Well, the kids on the bus didn't exactly put me in the best of moods either._

AnnabethChase: _And what do you mean "all"? That's plenty!_

OwenSawyer: _I meant "all" as in a "have you finished you hugely long list of everything wrong with your horrific day because I'm impatient to be the supportive guy who comforts you" kind of "all"._

AnnabethChase: _Yeah, right._

OwenSawyer: _Honest! It sounds terrible. I wish I was there to give you a hug and chase the world away._

AnnabethChase: _…_

AnnabethChase: _Yes please._

AnnabethChase: _And maybe some hot chocolate?_

AnnabethChase: _Because, y'know, I'm feeling pretty chilly._

AnnabethChase: _Owen?_

OwenSawyer: _I'm here. I know. I wish I could be there too. Soon. It'll happen._

"Annabeth!" She looked up from her phone as her mum poked her head round the door. "It's time for tea. Come and set the table."

"Be there in a minute." Looking back to her phone, she dashed off a quick _got to go, my stomach is growling and food is calling _before tossing her phone on the bed and jogging down the stairs. Caroline didn't like to be kept waiting.

…

When she got back to her room, his reply had been waiting for her for two hours. It had taken two hours to eat and do the amount of extra work on top of her homework that would satisfy her drive for academic excellence.

OwenSawyer: _Okay babe. Enjoy dinner!_

AnnabethChase: _Babe?_

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. This was new. They had never called each other pet names before. She wasn't opposed to the idea, just... really, babe? Did he have to choose the one she hated most?

As she waited for his reply, she got on with reading Twelfth Night - the mixture of Shakespearean language and her dyslexia made studying it in class a nightmare if she didn't go over it the night before. Soon enough, her phone buzzed.

OwenSawyer: _What? Don't you like it?_

AnnabethChase: _Ummm... no._

OwenSawyer: _Is it endearments in general, or just babe that you hate?_

AnnabethChase: _Babe specifically. It sounds so obnoxious..._

OwenSawyer: _Okay, so how about... darling?_

AnnabethChase: _No._

OwenSawyer: _...love?_

AnnabethChase: _No._

OwenSawyer: _Sweetie?_

AnnabethChase: _No._

OwenSawyer: _My periwinkle?_

AnnabethChase: _..._

OwenSawyer: _Is that a yes?_

AnnabethChase: _That's a "hell no, never ever ever in all eternity why do I even talk to you freak"._

OwenSawyer: _Ah. So no periwinkle._

AnnabethChase: _NO._

OwenSawyer: _How was your day, flibbikins?_

OwenSawyer: _What did you have for tea, dear heart?_

OwenSawyer: _Why are you not replying, dearest?_

OwenSawyer: _Sweetheart? Everything okay?_

AnnabethChase: _Umm..._

OwenSawyer: _So none of them then._

AnnabethChase: _Actually..._

OwenSawyer: _OOOOOOO. Flibbikins?_

AnnabethChase: _Never say that again._

OwenSawyer: _Dearest?_

AnnabethChase: _Nope._

OwenSawyer: _Sweetheart?_

AnnabethChase: _Mmmmm. You may have got me there._

OwenSawyer: _Really? Sweetheart?_

AnnabethChase: _I dunno. It just does things to me._

OwenSawyer: _Oh, I could do things to you._

AnnabethChase: _Mind. Gutter. Get out of. And no, you couldn't. You're on the other side of a computer screen._

OwenSawyer: _Way to crush my dreams..._

OwenSawyer: _...sweetheart._

AnnabethChase:_ *shivers*_

There was a soft knock on the door. She placed her phone down on the covers and called out, "Come in," while glancing at the clock. _22:30_ was blinking back at her. She hadn't realised it was so late.

Her dad poked his head round the door and gave her a toothy smile and she immediately lit up. "Dad!" He shuffled into the room and closed the door behind him, motioning to her to keep it down as he sat down next to her on the bed.

"The boys are asleep and I don't want to wake them. They looked like little angels."

"Yeah, I think they only ever look like that asleep. They're monsters awake." She muttered. He gave her a sad smile.

"I wouldn't really know, would I?" It was true. Fredrick Chase was a dedicated, loving father, but he didn't get to see his kids very often. He worked from dawn until after dusk in a city about an hour away and so was rarely home when his children were awake. Some accused him of working too hard, not caring enough about his family. It wasn't true. Both he and his wife worked all day to ensure their family had enough. They knew that, the family knew that and that was all that mattered. It only meant that Annabeth treasured her five minutes with him all the more when he got home late at night.

A small silence followed his comment before he moved on. "Okay then, what did the terrible twosome get up to today?" She grinned at him.

"Well, they almost had a food fight at dinner."

"Almost?"

"I used my scary voice on them." He laughed. "What? You think I couldn't do that? I've had a lot of practice with them recently."

He put his hands up in surrender. "No, no, I believe you. Please don't use it on me." He used a little high pitched girly voice and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Honestly Dad, and you wonder why I don't take you out in public."

"Hey! It's the other way round, thank _you _very much!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say." Her phone buzzed in between them. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"How was Caroline?"

"Same as always. Nice but tired. Dinner was homemade pizza." Annabeth twisted her hands into the cover. She liked Caroline, but she was a little uncomfortable discussing her with her dad. At least he didn't try and get her to call her 'mum'.

"Tasty. Did she eat it with you today?" She shook her head and when he continued, his voice was quieter. "Ah, so that's why it was _you_ that broke up the food fight." He paused. "You're going to make a fantastic mum someday, Annabeth."

"Whoa Dad, haven't even got a boyfriend yet. Don't need to worry about grandchildren for at least another decade." He smiled down at her.

"Alright, I won't go all mushy on you." Her phone buzzed again and he nodded towards it. "Although if that's a guy, he seems pretty persistent. Maybe you won't have to wait too long for that boyfriend."

She shoved him and blushed. "Dad! Stop it!"

"Alright, but I can see you're just itching to reply. Go on then, I'm off to bed anyway."

"No, Dad, it's nothing that can't wait. I want to keep talking."

"I'm tired. It's not your phone friend driving me away, promise. Sleep well." He leant across and gave her an awkward one-armed, sideways hug. "Well that failed. Love you." She repeated the sentiment back to him. Just as he slipped out of the door, he whispered, "And don't stay up too late flirting!" She threw a pillow after him.

Grumbling to herself, she sat listening to her father go to bed while she tried to calm her blush. It wasn't as if Owen would be able to see it when she texted him (ah, the joys of technology), but she found that she was flustered as well and she liked to at least appear normal to one person in her life.

Finally, her face had cooled to its normal temperature and she could no longer hear any noise from the rest of the house apart from the low murmurings of her dad and Caroline in their room as they discussed their day. She picked up her phone just as another message reached her.

OwenSawyer: _You're not going to come up with one for me?_

OwenSawyer: _Sweetheart?_

OwenSawyer: _Annabeth?_

She smiled.

AnnabethChase: _Sorry, my dad just got in and popped his head round to say hello. _

OwenSawyer: _Oh, don't worry about it. How is he?_

AnnabethChase: _Happy, but he looks tired. He needs more sleep and I think he misses spending time with my brothers._

OwenSawyer: _Ah, the infamous Matthew and Bobby. How old are they again?_

AnnabethChase: _Twelve._

OwenSawyer: _The age of trouble making and being angry at the world. Oh, and discovering girls for the first time._

AnnabethChase: _Don't say that! Can you imagine one of them bringing a girlfriend home? How awkward would that be - them getting a girlfriend before I did!_

OwenSawyer: _Them getting a girlfriend before you got a girlfriend?_

AnnabethChase: _No, idiot, them getting a girlfriend before I get a boyfriend._

OwenSawyer: _Oh. You… haven't had a boyfriend before?_

AnnabethChase: _Ummm… did I tell you how bad the weather was?_

OwenSawyer: _Annabeth. Don't change the subject._

AnnabethChase: _But I want to._

OwenSawyer: _Now you just sound like a sulky child._

AnnabethChase: _You obviously have no experience with children._

OwenSawyer: _Have too!_

AnnabethChase: _Yeah right. And there's a perfect example of what a sulky child sounds like._

OwenSawyer:_ I … yeah. Kids hate me. _

OwenSawyer: _You still haven't got away with changing the subject._

AnnabethChase: _Goshdarnit._

OwenSawyer: _So… You haven't had a boyfriend before?_

AnnabethChase: _Owennnnn. Please don't. I don't want to seem like a freak._

OwenSawyer: _Why? Because you haven't had a boyfriend? Why would that make you seem like a freak?_

AnnabethChase: _Because who my age hasn't had a boyfriend?_

There were a few minutes of radio silence. She was slightly worried she had scared him off, pointing out all her own faults. Why would she do that? She should have just lied. They might have been completely honest with one another for the month that they had been speaking, but that didn't mean she couldn't have the occasional secret, right?

Her internal monologue was interrupted by another buzz.

OwenSawyer: _Loads of people. Anyway, it just means you have good enough taste not to go for guys at this age. Most of us are insane, arrogant or a bit of both._

AnnabethChase: _Yeah, I don't think it was that._

OwenSawyer: _Really? What was it then?_

AnnabethChase: _More of no-one ever asked me._

OwenSawyer:_ ARE THEY BLIND?!_

AnnabethChase: _Aww. That's sweet. No, they're just not interested._

AnnabethChase: _I get it if you don't want to talk to me anymore. I mean, there must be something wrong with me, right?_

OwenSawyer:_ NO! Never. You're sweet, and funny, and clever, and pretty. What more could a guy ask for? It's them that have the problem for not seeing that._

Annabeth started blushing again. She wasn't insecure, but realistic. She knew she wasn't perfect, so why pretend that she was? It was still nice to hear a compliment now and then.

AnnabethChase: _Thank you. That means a lot._

OwenSawyer: _Anytime. And hey. You don't need a boyfriend. You've got me._

She refused to dwell too long on what that could mean.

AnnabethChase: _I don't know what to say. Right back at ya, I guess._

OwenSawyer: _Annabethhhhhhh. I'm trying to be all nice and emotional._

AnnabethChase: _I know. Sorry. I don't do well with getting all touchy feely._

AnnabethChase: _Especially at 11:15 at night._

OwenSawyer: _Oh, is it really that late? Ooops._

AnnabethChase: _Yeah, I have college tomorrow. Should probably go to sleep._

OwenSawyer: _Got to keep you looking beautiful!_

AnnabethChase: _Whatever you say. Sleep well, sweet dreams._

She placed her phone down on her bedside cabinet and switched off her lamp. The whole house was dark and she appreciated the silence as she curled up beneath her covers and shut her eyes. Before long, she was asleep.

…

She woke up the next morning to his message from the night before.

OwenSawyer: _I will do if I dream of you xx_

**I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Please excuse all the italics, but the formatting took forever. Updates will come, but irregularly and slowly - I do this for fun and I have a lot of work to do. Anyway please review to let me know what you thought and how I could improve. If you have any questions, whether about the story or me, do ask and I will try my best to answer. I do like to keep an air of mystery though! Until next time... Xx**


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait. I have so much stuff to write. I shouldn't really be doing this, I should be working, but I couldn't focus and I figured this might take my mind off stress etc. Anyway, to answer a few questions, yes this is a Percabeth (I could never write anyone else with either of them) but it will take a chapter or two to get started. I haven't really figured out what I'm doing with this yet.**

**Also, can I point out that I'm English? Someone asked how she could be in college and still unable to drive. When I say college, I mean where you go when you are 16-18 years old, not university. Annabeth is 16, and the legal age to learn to drive in England is 17, so …yeah. Sorry if that's confusing. I hadn't really thought about that aspect – I am trying to make this as country neutral as possible because I hate it when people say something like "they were in grade 10" because I have no idea what age that is but if there is something that needs to be specific, I'm afraid it's going to be English. Anyway, if I say anything else like that, do just ask me to clarify.**

**I now have a general direction in which I'm going with this story, but if there's anything in particular you want me to include, review or PM me and let me know. I appreciate any ideas, although I might not use all of them.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited or followed. It means a lot.**

**Now, read, review and enjoy (but I own nothing)!**

Annabeth ate her porridge in silence, squinting at her spoon and wishing all things bad on her alarm clock that had woken her up earlier. Frederick walked in and smiled at his daughter, hunched over her porridge and smothered by her too-big pyjamas. "Good morning," he said chirpily.

"Mmmph."

"What was that? I'm sorry but I don't speak zombie teenager."

She straightened up and glared up at her father. "I said, 'No, not good.' I will accept morning as a statement of fact, but never has a morning before ten o'clock ever been _good._ Now leave me in peace to be moody and teenagerish." He snorted in response, shaking his head. As Caroline entered the room he looked up.

"Would you believe it? The only way in which my daughter fits the bill of the average teenager is that she's moody if she wakes up before it's afternoon. Oh, thanks darling." She handed him one of the coffee cups in her hands, before she cradled her own between her palms. Blowing on it gently to cool it, she spoke up:

"I still think you should try having coffee in the morning Annabeth." Frederick violently mimed cutting his throat from where he leant against the kitchen counter on the far side of the room, reminding her not to start on that subject. As Annabeth became reanimated once more, he sagged and gave her a look that clearly said _don't say I didn't warn you. _Caroline shrugged, looking amused, and awaited the consequences.

"I don't want to become reliant on a drink to allow myself to become a fully functioning person. Imagine what would happen one day if all the coffee ran out – I think the business world as we know it would crash to a halt. I've always been told to be mature and responsible for myself. How is becoming dependent on that… beverage, going to make that happen? Not to mention it's detrimental to your health, just like any other drug, and if one becomes addicted, what then? I think someone went into a coma recently when they had too much caffeine. You don't want that to happen to me, do you?"

Caroline hid a smile behind her coffee cup. "No."

"Exactly, so don't make me conform to your expectations. Also, it tastes vile." At that, the parents exchanged a look and burst into laughter. Frederick put his cup down before he spilt any.

"Aww, you're a gem. Honest to goodness, don't know what we did to deserve you," he chuckled as he ruffled her hair. She batted away his hand ineffectually, a sullen look adorning her face. As the laughter died away slowly, the twins ran into the kitchen, socks slipping on the tiled flooring.

"What did Annabeth say this time to get you started?" Matthew asked, pushing Bobby aside as he reached for the toast.

"Hey! Why do you automatically assume it's-"

Bobby interrupted. "Dad? What are you doing still home? It's already seven thirty." All heads turned to the patriarch of the family.

"Yeah, why are you here?"

"Glad to see you all want me around." Bobby ran over and wrapped his arms around Frederick's waist. "Thank you Bobby, it's good to see someone cares and is awake enough to notice that something is a bit different." Insert significant glance at Annabeth here. "I just have a meeting this morning in town and there was no point in going to the office just to come most of the way back home almost immediately for this meeting. Instead, I get to stay home a bit longer. I _do _have to go in a minute though. Do I get a hug Matthew?" The boy shook his head. "No? I don't take no for an answer. Come here!"

Frederick began to chase Matthew around the kitchen. Suddenly changing tack, he turned around and caught Matthew as he continued running in the same direction. Picking him up, he swung him round in a circle, coming close to the ceiling. "Frederick, careful!" Caroline called as he narrowly missed the lampshade.

"Dad! I'm too old for this now!"

"Oh! Too old are we now?" He put his son down and put his hand out stiffly. Matthew eyed it warily before shaking it slowly. "I wish you a good day Mr Chase. I hope to see you soon." Frederick kept such a straight face Annabeth couldn't help but smile, which turned into a full on laugh when all of Matthew's worst fears came true and his dad started tickling him.

With Matthew writhing in tears of laughter on the floor, Caroline finally stepped in. "This is great and all, but you _do_ need to go to work darling." He stopped and straightened up.

"Alright then boys. Behave yourselves. See you two little monsters soon. Have a lovely day Annabeth." She smiled sleepily up at him and murmured a quick _you too love you_. He leant over, gave his wife a peck on the cheek and swung his coat over his shoulders. With a "Until we five meet again!" he swept out of the room.

They all waited for a moment until they heard the front door swing open, then slowly shut again. Sitting there, they stared in silence at one another for a few moments, feeling like a vacuum had formed where he had been standing and no-one knew exactly what to do. It was always that way when their father left the room, as though all the life and energy had left with him. After a second, they all started to move again.

"Come on boys, you need to eat something. Need some energy so you can annoy Annabeth later!" This earned Caroline a glare.

"Toast for me!"

"Do we have any Frosties?"

"Jjhuh iojijd sapojd." Which translated (roughly) to, "I'm going to have a shower and get dressed." Everyone trudged to their battle stations and prepared to take on the morning.

…

"Hi."

"Morning."

The nice thing about Reyna was she got that Annabeth was quiet. She didn't think she was arrogant, she didn't think she had offended Annabeth and she certainly didn't try and make her talk. She simply understood the value of quiet companionship and allowed Annabeth a peaceful journey to college each morning, listening to their music side by side. Heaven knew they'd get enough noise when they got to college.

After a few well aimed glares, Annabeth was left in peace to make the journey. It wasn't far – only twenty minutes by bus – but it took about fifty minutes to walk. She occasionally walked home when she was let out early, but she really couldn't deal with getting up early enough to walk each morning. They passed a variety of neighbourhoods. One's with fields for front lawns. One's with tree lined roads. One's with a corner shop every other building. One's with at least ten locks on every door. All too soon, she found herself entering the gates of her college and swept up in the crowd of children who obviously had far too much energy.

The two friends shared a weary sort of look before trudging off in the direction of the college that lay on the far end of the grounds of their old school. Several of her friends who had left had asked Annabeth why exactly she had stayed on to the college when they had already spent 5 years in the hell-hole. She had explained to them that it wasn't really that much of a hell-hole; the teachers were up for a laugh, they got the best grades for any state college in the area and the majority of her friends were staying. It was a bit of a no-brainer to her really.

"You ready to face the zoo?" Reyna's question startled her in the quiet of the morning. She had been watching the sunlight make beams as it shone through the trees and onto the mist that perpetually hung around the fields that time year. Wishing she had brought her camera with her to college yet _again, _she turned to her friend and gave her a rueful grin.

"Zoo? I'd say nursery."

Reyna snorted. "How about zoo of baby animals?"

"That'll do. Conveys the level of intelligence of maturity _and _intelligence." Holding the door, she held the door open and ushered the other girl through in a mock polite gesture. Reyna glared back; she knew her motivation – Annabeth didn't want to go in first. They both wandered up the stairs and headed to their respective lockers, fishing out the books that they'd need for their first two lessons. She could already hear the music thumping on the other side of the wall, waiting to burst her eardrums.

Don't get her wrong, she loved her friends. They were better than the majority of people at the college and all kind of wacky. She had spent so many years with them going through school, she almost couldn't imagine life without them. It was just little things that got to her – they were just different to her.

Pushing open the door, she looked around. As always they were scattered around the room, in a variety of positions: on the desks, on chairs with feet propped up, on the floor, sat on boyfriends. She shut the door behind her and winced at the volume of the music. That wasn't to her taste either. Too many expletives and not enough feeling.

She worked her way over to an empty spot, dumped her bag and scooched her bum up onto the desk. "Morning Annabeth!" Katie smiled up at her in her normal cheery manner. "How was your evening?" Annabeth smiled back and shrugged. Katie was one of the better ones.

"Fine. Had to look after the boys again though." She screwed up her face in sympathy and looked as though she was going to reply when Annabeth was grabbed by the shoulders from behind and rubbed rather vigorously on her scalp. She winced.

"And good morning to you Thalia." Annabeth looked resigned as she turned to face her best friend.

"Say it like you mean it Annabeth, say it like you mean it." There was silence, then Thalia raised her eyebrow, indicating that she really did want her friend to say it once again like she meant it.

"Really?" Annabeth knew she wouldn't be able to do anything until she did. "Good morning to you Thalia!" She said it with all the enthusiasm of a children's early morning TV presenter, complete with wide eyes and ear splitting smile. Thalia quickly removed her hand from Annabeth's shoulder as though she were poison, the disgust on her face at Annabeth's saccharine tone evident.

"Better… do that the first time next time. Say, you're looking a little fluffy this morning."

"Yeah, and you wouldn't have anything to do with that," Annabeth said sarcastically, blushing unattractively as she tried to pat her hair back down.

"Nothing to do with me," said Thalia, holding her hands up. "It was already like that." Unfortunately, that was probably true.

Everyone turned to face the door as it opened, as people inevitably do when the door opens, then turned back as Grover walked in. "Hey Grover. You okay?"

"Not half bad, other than the fact I have my English coursework deadline today. What if it's not good enough?" He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Do you want me to take a look at it? I'm sure it's fine – you've spent weeks on it – but if it would make you feel better about it…"

Grover's face lit up. "You would? Oh, thank you Annabeth, it's just big you know. Goes towards the final grade." He rummaged around in his bag before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and handing it over to her.

As she began to read, she tuned everything else out – the music, the chatter, the guys play fighting over in the corner. She fell into a world where it was just her and the words. She went slowly, so she could decipher the text, but it made her the perfect methodical proof-reader. It was actually a really good piece of work (of course she had finished hers a week before) and she found herself only underlining a few grammatical mistakes.

Looking up, she gazed around the room at her peers. She enjoyed people-watching, as creepy as it sounded. Annabeth learnt so much about people just from watching them interact with others. Today though, she just watched the big people, looked at the little clusters that formed as sub groups amongst the large crowd. She was astonished to find that there was hardly a person in the room with their mouth closed, all talking over one another. With the music blaring in the background, it was obvious how little they listened to one another. She found that a little sad.

A buzz at her side attracted her attention. Fishing out her phone, she read Owen's response to her reply this morning.

AnnabethChase: _Cheesy._

OwenSawyer: _But true._

She smiled gently. He was persistent, that was for sure. After a moment's hesitation, she typed a message back.

AnnabethChase: _Casanova._

Still smiling, she moved to deposit the mobile back in her pocket when a hand grabbed it right out of hers. "Hey!" She whipped around to face the thief, only to find Silena grinning back at her. "Come on Silena, give it back." She held her hand out for it, but Silena didn't move.

"I saw that happy little smile. Have a good evening last night?" She tilted her head to one side.

"Not particularly. And that has nothing to do with my phone." Her hand was still outstretched.

"Well, I think it sort of does. See, I think you did have a nice evening, and I think it was because you were talking to lover boy. Ooo, it just vibrated! Maybe you still are!" Annabeth's eyes widened and made a wild attempt to grab the phone back as she went to read the incoming message.

"Please, Silena! If you're my friend, give it back to me!" Silena glanced up at her, then proceeded to read the text that displayed on her home screen. Silently, she handed it back, smiling gently.

"It's because I'm your friend that I want to know. You've never had a boyfriend and, well, judging by that, he's the sweetest guy ever. You need someone to be excited for you. I never would have read the rest of the conversation." She paused, then grinned. "I don't know your pass code!" she said cheekily before turning away, leaving Annabeth to read her message.

OwenSawyer: _I'll be anything you want, sweetheart, just say the word._

…

Physics was, as usual, a nice way to start the day. Especially Wednesdays, the day in which you were always furthest from the wake, having lost all of the energy from the previous one, but having to wait another two days before you had another. Settling in her seat, she sat her bag on her desk. Rummaging around, she found her books and placed them on the desk, aligning them perfectly to the edge of the desk.

Leaning up from placing her bag back on the floor, Annabeth watched helplessly as some utter _hooligan _knocked her stuff onto the floor. Glaring at him, she watched him walk obliviously over to his friends, a group of boys gathered in the back corner and greet them with a variety of odd handshakes and nods. Most sat chatting animatedly or laughing bawdily, but a few sat back from the group. They were watching, not hostilely, but almost in a bored fashion. She saw the respect they had though, when one opened his mouth and said a single sentence. All other conversations stopped to hear his pearl of wisdom.

"Hey, clumsy! Yeah, you!" Annabeth hollered across the class. The hooligan slowly turned to face her and she gestured to her stuff strewn across the floor. "Thanks for that." She looked up to find all the eyes of the group set on her. Blinking once at her, the boy who had the nerve to knock off her stuff turned back to his mates, restarting their conversation.

She muttered under her breath as she picked up her stuff and placed it on the desk again just as the teacher walked in. "I _really _hope this doesn't set the tone for the day."

…

Thankfully, it didn't.

Annabeth knelt in front of her locker, swapping her books for her lunch, feeling her stomach about ready to growl. She didn't know why her college always had their lunch break so late. It was true that children worked better in the mornings but extending the mornings by letting the children starve for a few hours did not up their productivity, she was sure of it. It wasn't like they were children anymore anyway.

Grabbing her lunch, she looked up to Rachel who was leant up against the lockers that were next to the one they shared. "Hey, do you need anything out of here?" Annabeth was left to stare as she didn't reply, just continued staring off into the distance. "Rach? Rach!" Her friend finally looked over. "What's so interesting?" In response, she nodded her head over to the other side of the corridor, so Annabeth turned to look. She caught the back end of a group of guys, all tall, lean and dressed in dark colours as they walked away from their lockers down the stairs.

Rachel sighed dreamily. "I'd say yes."

"To what?"

"Anything he asked," she said with a _duh _face.

"Which one? There's more than one, you know." Rachel seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Pretty much any of them. But a few in particular if you know what I mean…" She accompanied this with a particularly awkward wink. Unfortunately, Annabeth did know – it was impossible to deny that quite a few were rather delicious specimens. That didn't stop her from trying to.

"What I actually asked was whether you needed the locker?"

"Nah, already been thanks. Where are we this lunch?" Annabeth gestured to a classroom off to the side and they both traipsed through the door. Normally during the summer they would eat outside but it was starting to get a little too cold (not to mention wet) to do so. They resorted to classrooms instead and invariably ended up leaving a trail of destruction behind them for the next class to discover. Making herself comfortable, she tuned into the conversation that had started up around her.

"…don't you think he's hot?"

"He's alright." From Thalia, this was the highest of praises.

"Come on, he's incredibly cute. Even Annabeth can see that, though she might not admit it!" Annabeth blushed and zoned out again. It really was better than listening to jabs at her 'innocence'.

..

"…okay, so you'll be Aragorn, you're Samwise and I'm Frodo. And together what are we?"

"The Fellowship of the Ring!" a group of voices chorused.

Their maths teacher had left the class when she had been called out by another teacher and they had all finished the work set. Somehow, they had realised there were exactly nine people in their class. Things had sort of just gone a bit strange from there.

"I leave you alone for five minutes and look what happens!" Mr Crippins was back. They all chuckled and explained what they had been discussing. "Really? Did you ever see the Lord of the Rings musical? It was amazing – they really went to town with it – but it ran out of money and they had to stop it. Look, do this exercise and I'll try and find a video of it online." Cheers erupted and heads bent as they began to work again.

"Hey, Annabeth!" She looked up to find Thalia, who sat on the far side of the class, calling to her. "You want to go for coffee tomorrow?"

"You paying?"

"Hell no! I'm skint. You pay for yourself, or watch me drink the cheapest coffee money can buy."

"Sounds great. When?" Annabeth asked grinning.

"After school. We'll go to Costa's or something." Annabeth opened her mouth to confirm when Mr Crippins cut her off.

"Alright ladies. Enough of the chit chat – you can have a social life after you finish your maths work." Both girls pouted at him but he waved them off and they returned to their books.

…

Annabeth was finally in the relative quiet of her home, relaxing on her bed.

OwenSawyer:_ So, was today better than yesterday?_

AnnabethChase: _Definitely. Still have a headache from all the people talking though._

OwenSawyer: _You do realise you have to talk to people to have friends, don't you? _

AnnabethChase: _Of course. But do they have to talk so damn much? I just don't understand my own generation._

OwenSawyer: _Ladies and gentlemen, Annabeth Chase: the woman who hates everyone in her age group._

AnnabethChase: _Not everyone. And hate is a strong word. I'd rather use… enmity_.

OwenSawyer: _And you wonder why you don't fit in._

AnnabethChase: _What's that supposed to mean?_

OwenSawyer: _Well, with a vocabulary like that, you sure are clever. People get jealous, think you're a show off, and think you have it all easy._

AnnabethChase: _YES. How do you know that?_

OwenSawyer: _Just a lucky guess._

AnnabethChase:_ I'm so glad __you__ understand me at least._

"Annabeth! Dinner!" Throwing down her phone on the covers, she dashed down the stairs.

"Do you want help with anything Caroline?"

"Would you mind setting the table? And don't forget the butter." In no time at all, all four were seated around the table, saying grace. "So boys, have a good day?"

They exchanged a look that meant neither of the women at the table would believe anything they said in the following conversation. "Yup."

"Behave yourselves?"

"Do you even have to ask?" The look they received showed they really did have to answer. "Of course," they lied through their teeth. "Like angels," added Matthew.

"Overkill, Matty boy," Annabeth stage-whispered. "Quit while you're ahead." She then proceeded to laugh along with Caroline at the boys' matching sulky faces.

"How about you Annabeth?"

"Good. Definitely an improvement on yesterday. You?"

"Glad to hear it. Hectic, but I got the main things done that I wanted to, so that's good." After a few minutes of silent, contented munching, Caroline spoke up again. "Annabeth, I'm afraid there's going to be a bit of a change to the routine tomorrow. Actually, every Thursday from now on."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm going to work a bit later from now on. You'll be going to Gran's house until about 7 at night and then I'll come and pick you up. The boys will be with you."

She looked puzzled. "Why can't we just come back here like normal?"

"I don't want you to be here on your own. Besides, this way you don't have to cook your own tea. That would be nice wouldn't it?"

"I guess. But I'm old enough to look after the boys myself now. Even if I wasn't, I was left on my own at that age."

"Well, I don't want to do that to _my_ children." Caroline flushed. Normally she treated Annabeth as one of her own, but occasionally something like this would happen, and it would really rile Annabeth. It was like Caroline was having a go at her real mother. It wasn't exactly her mum's fault she wasn't around anymore but the little jibes made Annabeth very defensive.

"If that's the way you feel-" she started but was cut off by Caroline.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. But your father and I have discussed it and we think it's best. That's final." Her eyes flicked to the side, indicating the two boys watching them, slightly cowed expressions on their faces. Annabeth sighed and backed down, but only for their sakes. She made it very clear by her facial expressions that she wasn't happy about the arrangement.

…

"And then she just cut me off. Basically said I had no say in the matter! I mean, I'm 16, I'm old enough to pay tax. Why can't I stay home for a few hours on my own?"

"Mhmm." Thalia just murmured her agreement, knowing that anything else would irritate Annabeth, especially when she was in this sort of mood. It was safest just to be neutral, although sometimes she even attacked you for not being enthusiastic enough.

"I mean, how unfair is that? They always say responsibility comes with privilege. Shouldn't it work the other way round too?"

Thalia nodded, then carefully ventured, "Did you say tonight?"

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, and every Thursday after that."

"So no coffee tonight then?" Annabeth eyes widened.

"Oh! No, sorry Thalia, I completely forgot. If we were just going home, I'd let the boys do it on their own – it's only a five minute walk and they don't even cross any roads. But Gran's is a way away. I really do need to be with them."

"No, I understand. Just wanted to clarify."

Annabeth went to rant again. "So not only do they not trust me, they are ruining my social life. How many times has Dad said-" But Thalia would never know what her dad had said so many times because at that moment they were interrupted.

"Excuse me. This is the library. So either work silently, or get out." Annabeth turned ready to give some jumped up student a piece of her mind. Seeing it was Mrs Seeword however, she turned back and started back on her history cover work, but not before exchanging a surprisingly eloquent glance with Thalia. Mrs Seeword was not someone to defy or argue with. It certainly wasn't worth Annabeth's time, so the conversation was effectively brought to a close.

…

Annabeth got off the bus at her stop again, thankful that it was clear skies for once, even if there was a cool wind that seemed to blow right through her clothes. Surprised to find the boys already on the pavement, she walked over to them. "Alright boys. You heard what Caroline said yesterday. We're going to Gran's today."

"Are we going across the park?" asked Matthew eagerly.

"Yeah, to begin with at least."

"Can I go on ahead?" he continued. Annabeth considered.

"Okay, but wait for me at the gate on the far side of the park. Don't go out onto the road without me under _any _circumstances, understood?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Yes mum," he muttered before he ran off, little legs pounding the ground as fast as possible. Bobby's little voice spoke up shyly from behind her.

"Can I go too?"

"Of course, but same rules apply." He nodded and she smiled fondly, ruffling his hair before he ran off after his brother. It always surprised her how different the two boys were from one another. She checked the time (and her messaging app) on her phone. 16:00.

With a wistful glance to the left where she would normally be walking by now, she turned away from the road and walked through the gate to the park. After a few moments, the path fell into the shadow of the trees that surrounded it. Occasionally the sun would peep through the leaves, temporarily blinding her in the ensuing darkness, but when her eyes were adjusted enough to see, she could discern that there were benches positioned periodically, the occasional regal cat lounging under them.

The path slowly grew lighter before there were only trees spread out equally, clearly planted for aesthetics rather than the practicality of shade (or protection from the wind, which surprised her with a particularly large gust as she stepped out from the woods' protection. If she squeaked at being startled, no-one would ever know). In the distance, she could see the boys running in circles on the grass and smiled.

The sun wasn't low enough in the sky to be blinding yet, nor was it beginning to set yet. It was too early in the year for that. The leaves were still on the trees. However, they were beginning to turn that beautiful golden that indicated the beginning of autumn, rainy showers and shorter days. Feeling a buzz from her bag, she placed it down on a nearby bench, fishing out her phone.

OwenSawyer: _You at your Gran's yet? Was it as bad as you thought?_

She smiled at his thoughtfulness before shouldering her bag and walking on. Phone in hand, she moved to reply.

"So, I have a new friend to walk home with me now, do I?" a voice said from behind her. It was deep, kind of gravelly, with a smirk almost built into it. Sure he wasn't talking to her, she looked around surreptitiously, trying to see who he could be talking to. Seeing no-one, she returned to her phone, so she jumped when he spoke again. "I'm not down there. Look behind you." Assuming he must be talking to her, she turned about slowly. Raising her eyes from her phone almost reluctantly, she swept them up to the figure stood in front of her.

Standing facing her was the last person she expected to be there and to be addressing her.

Percy Jackson.

**Ta-da! That took a while. Longer than I expected, sorry not much happened, but we finally meet Percy. Perhaps a few more times than you realise, but read into that what you may. Again, sorry for the wait, but I refuse to publish a chapter under 2k (if I won't read it, I won't write it) and I have a ton of work to do, among other stuff. Thank you once again to reviewers, and if you have any questions, comments or even random smiley faces, please review! Thanks for reading. No promises for when the next update will be. Until then… have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night! Xx**


End file.
